Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-02-22
AN UNCERTAIN SOUND
COMES FROM THE ELECTIONS OVER
IN THE FADERLAND.
Big Gains Made by the Socialists In Berlin
"A Doubt IL Bismarck VIII Have a
Working Majority-British Politics
An English Romanist on an Irish Arch.
bishop-Foreign Notes.

Dtsnop-Eoretgn Notes.
BERLIN, Feb - Returns of the elections,
which took place throughout Germany Mon
day, are coming in slowly. In Berlin the
Socialists po.led total vote OF 10000,
against Ii, ooo for the Conservatives and
II, 900 for the Liberals The Liberals aud So
ciallsts will coalesce in the supplementary
elections in opposition to the governm. nt can
didates. The vote was unusually heavy, 30
per cent of the electorate of BThu having
east ballots Prince Bismarck appeared at
the polls and deposited his vote at noon His
appearance was tue signal for an ovation.
In four out of six divisions second ballots
will be necessary, but in each of these divis-
ions an anti-septennate candidate has al
present majority.
LATER.-The next result in Berlin shows
the Socialist vote to be %, lO7, gain OF - 600
septennate, 62S?S; Liberals, 65,SS4 The
government parties gain Is, 900, and the Lib
erals 10 5000 Returns from the provinces
show losses for the Liberals. The combined
Conservative and National Liberal support
ers of ahe septennate have secured many
seats, but have no clear prospects Of work.
ing ma jority. The feature of the whole cleo
ton Is the unusual number of supplementary
ba lots that will be required.
In Eiherfelt BresIau, Dresden Alstadt
Stettin, Cologne and Munich supplementary
elections will be necessary. Seven support
ers of The septennate are returned from
places including Bremen, Leipsic and Bruins
wick. One Center candidate is elected in
AK, and in Nuremberg one Socialist is re.
turned
LONDON, Feb 22-The Standards Berlin
dispatch says the elections Monday were car.
ried on by classes both high and low with a
bitterness and vehemence hitherto unknown
in German politics. The reelection of Herreu
Forrekenbeck, Bamberger and Stauffenberg
and Count Won MoItke is announced
For the better understanding of the
caplegrams concerning the German elections
II may be stated that the present empire,
like the old "bund,n is confederation of
states, which, for certain national purposes,
one of which is the maintenance and organi-
cation Of a standing army, are one nation,
united and indivisible. The empire has
practically but one legislative body, the
''reichstag," although the. "Bundersrathn-a
federal council, the members of which are
annually appointed by the governments OF
the various states, but whose consent is
not requisite for the adoption Of q meas
ure-may be termed to be of legislative
charter. The BundersGath considers every
proposition of the imperial government first,
and may suggest amendments. Ii the latter
are concurrei in by the government the
measure goes to the reichStag The latter's
consent is absolutely requisite for the adop-
ton Of any measure.
The members of the reichstag are elected
by universal suffrage for a period of three
years A candidate for election must receive
an absolute majority before he can be de-
clared elected. In case OF plurality only a
supplementary election is required, and in
the densely populated districts of large cities,
where there are a number of candidates of
the various factions in the fold, supplement
tary elections are quite frequent.
The cause Of the present election is that
Bismar ok asked the last reichstag to appro-
pirate for the army for a term of seven
years the septenHatel. This was refused, an
offer being made to appropriate for three
years. which Bismarck would not accept.
Consequently he dissolved the reichstag and
will do SO again if he does not have a ma jor-
ity TO support him